End-of-Life Care for Patients with Glioma

Exploring the perspectives of early-stage postoperative glioblastoma patients and their caregivers on end-of-life care planning: An exploratory qualitative interview study

AIM

Compare the convergent and divergent viewpoints of early-stage postoperative patients with glioblastoma and their caregivers on end-of-life care planning in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND

Decision-making capacity in patients with glioblastoma may be compromised as disease progresses, making early future care planning essential to ensure that the provided care aligns with patients' goals. However, within many Asian cultures, the tendency to avoid discussions about death can lead patients to feel hesitant about addressing end-of-life care options. This reluctance may impact the quality of care provided and increase the surrogate decision-making burden on caregivers.

METHODS

An exploratory qualitative study with semi-structured qualitative interviews was conducted on early-stage postoperative glioblastoma-caregiver dyads at a medical center in Northern Taiwan informed by social constructivism. Thematic analysis with analytical rigor enhanced by dual coders and exploration of convergent and divergent views.

RESULTS

We interviewed 7 patient-caregiver dyads (n = 14). More than half of patients were male (median age: 62 y/o). Primary Caregivers were primarily their spouses (median age: 47 y/o). Convergent viewpoints include death-prolonging treatment refusal, end-of-life fulfillment, timing of end-of-life care discussions, end-of-life concerns, and advance end-of-life care arrangement. Divergent viewpoints include life value (quality vs. quantity), lack transparent and shared discussions (explicit vs. implicit), and decision-making paradigm (individualistic vs. collective).

CONCLUSIONS

Early end-of-life care discussions for patients with glioblastoma are crucial to address differing values and cultural emphasis on family harmony. Transparent communication reduces caregiver stress and supports informed decisions on advance care planning, symptom management, and financial or social support.

'How long do you think?' Unresponsive dying patients in a specialist palliative care service: A consecutive cohort study

BACKGROUND

Predicting length of time to death once the person is unresponsive and deemed to be dying remains uncertain. Knowing approximately how many hours or days dying loved ones have left is crucial for families and clinicians to guide decision-making and plan end-of-life care.

AIM

To determine the length of time between becoming unresponsive and death, and whether age, gender, diagnosis or location-of-care predicted length of time to death.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study. Time from allocation of an Australia-modified Karnofsky Performance Status (AKPS) 10 to death was analysed using descriptive narrative. Interval-censored survival analysis was used to determine the duration of patient's final phase of life, taking into account variation across age, gender, diagnosis and location of death.

SETTING/PARTICIPANTS

A total of 786 patients, 18 years of age or over, who received specialist palliative care: as hospice in-patients, in the community and in aged care homes, between January 1st and October 31st, 2022.

RESULTS

The time to death after a change to AKPS 10 is 2 days (n = 382; mean = 2.1; median = 1). Having adjusted for age, cancer, gender, the standard deviation of AKPS for the 7-day period prior to death, the likelihood of death within 2 days is 47%, with 84% of patients dying within 4 days.

CONCLUSION

This study provides valuable new knowledge to support clinicians' confidence when responding to the 'how long' question and can inform decision-making at end-of-life. Further research using the AKPS could provide greater certainty for answering 'how long' questions across the illness trajectory.

Family involvement in advance care planning for people living with advanced cancer: A systematic mixed-methods review

BACKGROUND

Advance care planning is important for people with advanced cancer. Family involvement in advance care planning may be instrumental to achieving goal-concordant care since they frequently become surrogate decision-makers.

AIM

To examine components, contexts, effects and linkages with intended outcomes of involving family members in advance care planning.

DESIGN

A mixed-methods systematic review, in which quantitative and qualitative data were extracted and synthesised using thematic synthesis leading to a logic model. Prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020208143).

DATA SOURCES

Primary quantitative and qualitative research regarding family-involved advance care planning for people with advanced cancer were identified using Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL from inception to September 2020. Quality appraisal was performed with 'QualSyst'.

RESULTS

Fourteen articles were included. The synthesis identified perceptions of individuals and family members concerning family involvement in advance care planning and presents components for family-integrated advance care planning intervention. The logic model includes (i) addressing family members' concerns and emotions and (ii) facilitating communication between individuals and family members which are distinctive when healthcare professionals engage with individuals as well as family members.

CONCLUSIONS

This review provides a comprehensive understanding of family involvement in advance care planning and could inform its assessment and implementation in clinical practice. The number of included articles was limited. Therefore future research must focus on family integration and exploration of stakeholders' perceptions to identify additional components and linkages between them within family-integrated advance care planning.